Tucker Kraft Updates Injury Rehab, Return Timeline for Packers Ahead of 2026 NFL Season

When the Green Bay Packers take the field for their Sept. 13 opener against the Minnesota Vikings, they will have tight end Tucker Kraft available if everything goes according to plan.

Kraft told reporters Wednesday he plans on being ready for Week 1 without any snap-count limitations as he continues to rehab from the torn ACL that limited him to eight games last season.

That is excellent news for the Packers, as Kraft led the team with seven touchdown catches in 2024 and still tied for the team lead with six last season despite missing so much time. What's more, one of the pass-catchers he tied with in 2025 is no longer on the team after Romeo Doubs signed with the New England Patriots.

Kraft is a safety blanket for quarterback Jordan Love and also one of the best offensive playmakers on the team.

While Luke Musgrave and Josh Whyle provide important depth, neither of them can replicate the South Dakota State product's impact on the field. Had he remained healthy last season, he may have ended up with more than 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdown catches from the tight end position.

Instead, he settled for 32 catches for 489 yards and those six touchdowns in the eight games he played.

Green Bay was not the same team without Kraft on the field and lost its final four regular-season games as well as its playoff opener to the rival Chicago Bears.

Notably, star pass-rusher Micah Parsons was also sidelined for the majority of that stretch because of his own ACL injury. Parsons does not have a definitive timeline for his return but told reporters he is taking a big-picture approach.

"The goal for me is to complete the season—not no relapse—and playoffs and pushing towards a championship," he said. "The goal isn't for me to go out there and re-hurt myself trying to force myself to get back the first few games. The goal has always been playoffs, and I think we're all on the same page."

If Kraft and Parsons can remain healthy in 2026, anything but a playoff run from Green Bay would be a surprise.